The Necklace
by Mikazuki
Summary: Serena Tsukino is hired to retrive an ancient necklace thought to be a legend.
1. First Encounters

**The Necklace** by Mikazuki   
Rated PG-13 - Violence, language & adult situations   
Action/Adventure • Drama

* * *

This story takes place before Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness and after Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. 

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE: FIRST ENCOUNTERS**

She looked out the windows of the high rise as she waited for the mystery man who had hired her the day before.  She hated waiting and she had been waiting for a half hour already.  Her blood was beginning to boil.  Was this a joke? The man had already deposited ten million dollars in United States currency to her Swiss bank account so it couldn't have been a joke.  She continued to look out the window down to the people far below her.  Something didn't feel right but she wasn't sure what it was.   

"Miss Tsukino?" A man's voice broke into her train of thought.   

She looked into the window, using it as if it were a mirror before turning around to meet the mystery man's gaze.  He was handsome, very handsome.  With short blonde hair and piercing blue eyes and a well-built body, he was the type that Serena usually dated.   

"Yes? I take it you are Mr.  Knight?" The slender blonde replied as she scrutinized the man before her.   

"Please, call me Jed," the man said as he reached out to shake her hand.   

She took his hand and instantly felt a cold chill go up her spine.  She managed to suppress the urge to shake off the cold feeling she got from him and smiled warmly to him.   

Hesitantly she said, "Alright....  Jed.  You hired me for a reason and per request, I'm here to find out what." 

"Would you like something to drink?" 

"No thank-you." 

He nodded before walking past her and sat down at his desk, motioning her to sit down in the leather chair in front of him.  She sat down in the leather chair and intently looked at him.  She hated this and she hated the intense feeling she had that things weren't as they appeared.   

"I was told you are a woman of considerable...talents, Serena." He said, as he looked the beauty over.  "May I call you Serena?" 

She hesitated before nodding.   

"I need you to retrieve a necklace for me, Serena.  It is a very old necklace." 

"A necklace? I'm not in the cat burglar business Mr.  Knight." 

"Nor did I think you were.  This necklace was among the legendary Tora gems.  It is a lost artifact." 

"Yes, I'm familiar with the Tora legend.  It is said that in the time of Troy there was a kingdom on an island south of modern day Crete Island.   If I'm not mistaken the island is present day Gavdos Island.  The queen of that kingdom had the most magnificent gemstones of the known world and had a necklace created with her favorite gems.  It is also rumored that it was where Calypso, the sea nymph, held Odysseus captive on his way home from the Trojan War.  It's a legend of course considering that the temples and other structures are long gone that's if they ever existed." 

"Good, I'm glad you know your mythology Serena," Jed said with a coy smile. "Oh the Tora Kingdom existed alright and there are ruins to prove that they did," Jed said as he pushed a button on his desk.   A screen came down from the ceiling and the blinds came down before closing.  On the screen the island of Gavdos popped up along with a detailed topographic map.   

The image zoomed in the island to a southern tip of the island.  Jed stood and walked over to the image of the map before pointing out a beach.  "This is where you will land, Cape Tripiti.  A private boat will take you and the necessary supplies to this point.  After that you will be on your own." 

Serena nodded to Jed as he continued.   

"The island is located 23 nautical miles from the island of Crete.  It is a fairly small island, only 27 square kilometers and few permanent inhabitants.  At last count there were only 40 inhabitants of the island and only three villages.  There are no hotels and no place for tourists to stay.  Outsiders are rarely seen.  So if anything happens to you, you are on your own.  I will warn you about one thing.  The island was a pirates haven and as such there maybe traps set by the pirates." 

Serena nodded as she studied the map.  "When do I leave?" «_This will be a challenge_,» she thought to herself. 

Jed smiled to her as he walked over to his desk and pressed a button on his intercom.  "Miss Hino, please make the arrangements for Miss Tsukino's departure." 

"Yes, Mr.  Knight," came the reply from an unseen woman before the intercom clicked as it turned off.   

"How is tomorrow morning?" 

"Fine," Serena said to her employer.   

"Then will you join me for dinner?" 

Serena smiled to the man who made feel uncomfortable and shook her head.   "I'm afraid not.  I think it'd be best if I study the map of Gavdos and any other information you can provide to me of the island." 

"I understand.  Miss Hino will provide you with all the information you will need." The man said somewhat annoyed.  Jed Knight was displeased that the beautiful blonde in front of him would not share a meal with him.  He always got what he wanted and he not only wanted the Tora Necklace but also Serena Tsukino.   

Raye Hino, Jed's secretary and personal assistant, knocked on the door before entering Jed's office.  She eyed the blonde before smiling to Jed.  "As requested sir, arrangements have been made for Miss Tsukino." The raven-haired beauty with fiery violet eyes smiled to the blonde, "Miss Tsukino please follow me.  I will fill you in on any remaining information you may need." 

Serena stood up and extended her hand to Jed, "I hope to see you again soon Serena," Jed said as he shook her hand.  "Of course, I hope the next time we meet you will have found the Tora Necklace." 

Serena smiled, "I'm sure I will Jed." 

* * *

To be continued.... 

* * *

DISCLAIMER: SAILOR V, SAILOR MOON & all related material are © 1992 - 2000 NAOKO TAKEUCHI, KODANSHA LTD, TOEI ANIMATION, DiC ENTERTAINMENT, PIONEER ANIMATION & CLOVERWAY.  SAILOR MOON, the SAILOR MOON characters their respective names & likenesses are trademarks of TOEI ANIMATION.   All rights reserved.   LARA CROFT and TOMB RAIDER are copyrights and trademarks of Core Design and EIDOS Interactive.   

* * *

Author's Note:   
When I began this story it was shortly after the release of Tomb Raider: Chronicles (the game after The Last Revelation and before Angel of Darkness). I stopped working on this story shortly after publishing Chapter Three: Outer Sanctum on Fanfiction.net. I'm currently rewriting this story and will be expanding the story incorporating some elements seen in AOD. 

Story currently published at:   
A Sailormoon Romance (www.moonromance.net)   
Legends From The Moon (legends.cjb.net) 


	2. The Island of Gavados

**The Necklace** by Mikazuki   
Rated PG-13 - Violence, language & adult situations   
Action/Adventure • Drama

* * *

This story takes place before Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness and after Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation. 

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO: THE ISLAND OF GAVDOS**

_"Two days later" _

The seawater was a crisp, clear blue that matched Serena's eyes.  She had little choice but to swim from the boat to the shore since there were no places to dock.  The warm ocean water felt wonderful to her and the ocean color was simply breathtaking but it was not time for sight seeing.  Tuna and sea turtles were swimming in the deeper part of the sea and as she swam towards the shore saw fewer and fewer fauna.  She could see some jellyfish, they were translucent in color and seemed to be move in the water like ghosts.   

As she swam towards shore she could hear the boat that brought her to the island, leave.  She was glad to be left alone, the unwanted and unwelcome gazes from the men on the boat had made her uncomfortable but she didn't let them know that it did.  She was very beautiful, tall and slender with an athletic build due to the amount of "exercise" she was constantly getting from her adventures.   

She tossed her gear onto the beach and took a deep breath.  The wild thyme that grew on the island hung in the air like perfume, which she breathed in deeply.  Several ketro trees grew on the edge of the beach to her left while on her right pinus trees grew.  Numerous bushes also lined the sandy, white beach.   

Serena unpacked her gear and began going over them to make sure she had everything.  She was on her own now, which was fine for her, but she had to make sure nothing was left behind or worse stolen by any one of the men that was on the boat.   

"Flares...  rope...  pick ax...  binoculars with night vision...  .32 caliber guns with two boxes of ammo...  a crowbar...  compass...  a medi-kit....  tent...  sleeping bag...  but where's the maps? Looks like I was right, someone has been going through my gear," she said aloud to herself as she noticed half of her gear including her food was missing.  The good thing was that who ever had gone through her stuff didn't take her guns.  "Lara would be displeased with me," she sighed.   

'_At no time should you leave your gear unattended.  You'll never know when someone will decide what's yours is theirs._' Lara Croft's advice rang in her ears.  '_Serena, what we do is dangerous and we need to remember that our gear is our lifeline._' Her worded rung more true to her then right then.   

"Lara, I do miss you," Serena said as she remembered her mentor and dearest friend.  "I do hope Von Croy is right and you're alive." Lara had been rumored to have been killed in Egypt while chasing Werner Von Croy and now the 'good' doctor was leading an expedition in trying to find Lara or at least recover her body from the tomb that had collapsed on the woman. Serena had doubts of the man, Lara had told her of her own adventure with Von Croy as a teenage girl and knowing what she did of him left Serena to wonder if he was truly sincere in finding Lara Croft or if there was something else going on. 

Serena looked around her environment, just as she expected the area was deserted.  She pulled out a pair of gold-rimmed sunglasses and placed it on her face.  The dark shades matched her slender round face.   She then picked up her gun holster from her gear bag and strapped them on.  She pulled out a small towel from the gear bag and dried out her long, wet hair that she promptly re-braided.  When that was done she picked up her gear bag and reloaded her remaining equipment and began her trek inland.   

Her journey wouldn't take long since the island was small and she was close to the location where the cave entrance was located.  Her clothes were still wet from the swim but since it was such a hot day she didn't bother changing them.  The wet tank shirt clung to her body as did the short khaki shorts she wore.  As she hiked to the cave entrance she recalled her conversation with Jed Knight's personal secretary, Raye Hino.   

"Here are the maps you need Ms. Tsukino," the tall and slender woman said to Serena as she placed several large detailed maps on a metal table.   

"Thank-you Miss Hino," she replied and she began to go over the maps.   "What can you tell me about the island?" 

"Mr.  Knight has told you pretty much everything it is you need to know.   As he said, pirates once inhabited the island.  No doubt there will be left over traps set by them.  Exactly where the traps are located, we don't know.  We do know that they are deadly as several of our men were killed by various means." 

"Like?" 

"Rolling boulders trigged by ropes, stakes popping out of the ground, various trip wires setting off various traps.  Pits filled with venomous snakes, pits filled with more stakes.  The men who died did so quickly but painfully." 

Serena nodded as she continued to go over the maps.  There was something unsettling about Jed Knight and his secretary but she just couldn't place it.   

She walked through a dry riverbed, lined with more wild thyme plants.   She continued to walk along the dry riverbed until she came to edge of a cliff.  She recalled from the map that there was a slope and at the bottom of the slope was the cave entrance.  Serena looked around and spotted the slope where she promptly slid down.   

At the bottom of the slope was a cave opening hidden by overgrown vines.  Serena reached into her pocket and fished out a Swiss Army knife that she used to cut down some of the vines.  The cave was dark and dank.  She reached back into her backpack and pulled out a flashlight and a flare.  She pressed the button on the flashlight and found that it didn't illuminate the cave as much as she wanted so she snapped the flare in the middle and it came to life.  Tossing it as far into the cave as she could she saw that the cave had many stalagmites.  She carefully looked for any booby-traps but saw none.  Cautiously she entered the cave, wary of her movements.   

She carefully listened to the sounds from the caves.  She could make out the sounds of dripping water.  Gingerly she entered the cave looking for any hidden traps.  She flashed her flashlight against the cave walls looking for openings.  The cave was large and dank.  Monkey pee, moss, and wet dirt mixed together and the air was stagnant. Coughing she continued to walk deeper into the cave, one hand on the flashlight, the other on her gun's holster.   

Several minutes passed and she stopped to look back at the cave opening.   It was small with a pin drop of light.  If she didn't have her flashlight or the flares, there would be no way for her to explore the cave since it was pitch black.  The sound of dripping water grew louder with each step she took.  The slippery rocks were treacherous, one false step and it could mean the end of her life for she had come to an area where the cave's floor sharply dropped at least one hundred feet.   Serena fished out another flare and snapped causing it to come to life.   She promptly tossed into the pit and as it fell she saw what she was looking for.  Twenty feet down and on the opposite side of the pit was an opening covered with moss.   

"Damn," she said aloud to hear her own voice echo in the darkness.   "Why can't tomb raiding be easier?" 

She slung off her backpack and pulled out a rope with a hook attached at one end.  She next took out the night vision goggles and slipped them over her face.  The cave came to life in a field of green and she could clearly see the cave opening below.  Taking the rope she swung the hook across the cavern, hooking to a stalagmite.  She pulled on the rope making sure it was secure, after all if it broke while she was in midswing, well her life would be over in a painful manner and no one would be going after her unlike Lara.   

Testing the rope she nodded to herself.  "No time like the present," she said to herself as she put her backpack back on and then swung on the rope to get across the cavern's pit.  As she swung across the rope she heard the stone cracking, hoping her momentum was enough to get her across, she felt herself fall as the stalagmite broke from its place.   

She flew across the cavern, her momentum carrying her across the few remaining feet and she landed on the cavern floor with a thud.  She rolled to a stop and laid still for a few moments, catching her breath.   

"Well that was fun.  NOT!" She said to herself.  She slowly stood making sure she was uninjured.  The stalagmite had crashed to the cave floor a few feet from her.  She walked over and untangled the rope and hook knowing that she would need it next to repel down to the cave opening below her.   

She fished out a rabbit runner from her backpack and unhooked the hook that was attached to the rope.  She next attached a croll ascender.   She then took out a rock drill and attached a bit in order to place a steel hanger and bolt into the cave floor so that she could repel to the cave below.  Once she was done attaching all the necessary equipment and had done several safety checks she attached the rope to the harness she had slipped on.   

She looked over the edge of cavern to the cave opening below.  She still wore the night vision goggles and saw exactly where she wanted to get to.  Holding the rope in both her hands she turned her back to the cavern and slowly began her decent into the pitch-black cavern.   As she approached the hidden cave opening she could hear water far below her on the floor of the cave.   

A few minutes later she had landed on the lip of the cave opening.   She cautiously entered the second cave and removed her harness.  She fished several flares from her backpack and tossed one into the cave once she had snapped the center.  She noticed the ancient writing on the cave walls, "probably warnings," she mumbled to herself as she began to examine them.   

The smooth worn stones were written in a dead language yet Serena continued to examine them for a clue as to where the Tora necklace was at.  An hour had passed and Serena was still examining the ancient writing before she noticed a small handle sticking from the cave wall.   It was hidden among the moss-covered walls.   

"Well, well.  A clue," she said as she examined it.  She wasn't about to pull the handle not knowing what would happen, least not until she was sure it wasn't a trap. 

After continuing to examine the handle she figured it was safe to trigger it. Holding her breath she pulled on the handle and slowly a hidden door opened, scrapping open like fingernails on a chaulkboard. 

The sound stopped and Serena looked at the newly opened door. Cautiously she entered the door after gathering her things. A light burst into flame as she snapped another of her flares. She had few left but knew between the flares, the flashlight and her nightvision googles she would be fine. Looking around Serena saw magnificent paintings on the walls that looked as if they had been painted only a short time ago not the thousands of years that had passed. 

Pulling out the flashlight she investigated the wall paintings hoping for a clue that would lead her closer to the missing artifact. She gasped in surprise at what she saw... her own face painted on the wall. 

* * *

**To be continued....**

* * *

DISCLAIMER: SAILOR V, SAILOR MOON & all related material are © 1992 - 2000 NAOKO TAKEUCHI, KODANSHA LTD, TOEI ANIMATION, DiC ENTERTAINMENT, PIONEER ANIMATION & CLOVERWAY.  SAILOR MOON, the SAILOR MOON characters their respective names & likenesses are trademarks of TOEI ANIMATION.   All rights reserved.     
LARA CROFT and TOMB RAIDER are copyrights and trademarks of Core Design and EIDOS Interactive.   

* * *

Author's Note:   
When I began this story it was shortly after the release of Tomb Raider: Chronicles (the game after The Last Revelation and before Angel of Darkness). I stopped working on this story shortly after publishing Chapter Three: Outer Sanctum on Fanfiction.net. I'm currently rewriting this story and will be expanding the story incorporating some elements seen in AOD. 

Story currently published at:   
A Sailormoon Romance (www.moonromance.net)   
Legends From The Moon (legends.cjb.net) 


End file.
